Monday - Orientation Begins!

I decided to do two posts today to get caught up - there are so many new things going on these first few days, and I hate to get behind. Right now there are lots of things to tell about and show, but once we travel to our school in Liptovsky Mikulas, there won't be as much new all the time, so posts will spread out more.  I have to admit, we are pretty tired tonight - but sleep should come easy!!

Well, today was the first official day of our orientation and training.  Breakfast was at 8:00, and we had a plate of sliced cold meat and cheese, bread or rolls and butter/jam, hot tea (or coffee for others), and there was a chocolate cereal for Tim to try.  We had devotions after, with plenty of a cappella singing.  I don't think I've mentioned that we've sung grace several times, and these folks can SING!!  :-)  Nice harmonization too!

Then the work began.  Our first presentation was by some teachers who have been here a couple of years, describing who our students will be and what to expect at school.  Then we had three hours of ELL training (English Language Learners), with group and class activities and plenty of note-taking.  It was hot in the room (no A.C. there either!) but we kept the windows open for a little breeze to help us stay attentive.  :-)  Lunch followed - wiener schnitzel, boiled potato cubes, and bread.  Then we had an hour of Slovak language training from a native speaker.  It was fast and furious, and a lot of folks struggled to follow her, but we learned a lot.  Wish we had more time to practice before our next session tomorrow!  

We got out of training early this afternoon to go on a 2-hour walking tour of downtown Bratislava with a native guide.  She spoke English well with a beautiful accent, and she kept us fascinated with stories about her city and country's history.  It was a HOT afternoon, so our facilitator had the group stop at an ice cream shop where he treated us all to a cone - delicious and refreshing!  

Katie at our bus stop near the seminary --- holding a plum.    :-)

We started our Bratislava tour at the church again -- this is the back, with the organ

The church sign

The Bratislava Opera House

St. Michael's Cathedral

Street lamp in front of house built into the fortified city walls

This shows the double walls of the fortress.

This is a tower on St. Michael's.  It was used as a battlement in wars, so the soldiers built a stone "outhouse" into the side of the tower!

One of the scenic side alleyways in the old town

Church steeple in old town

Palace 

The New Bridge across the Danube - with the UFO Restaurant on top!  

After the tour, we walked to the apartment of the two teachers who presented this morning, who hosted us for a lovely dinner.  It was nice to have an American style meal that wasn't so heavy on starches and included salads.  They served maid-rites, a tossed salad, fruit salad, potato salad, and cookies.  We also had lessons on Slovak culture imbedded in the dinner experience --- removing shoes at the door of the house, bringing a gift to the host, etc.  They also served some typical Slovak wines, beers, and soft drinks, as Slovakia is well known for high quality wine and beer in this region.  One of the other gals and I helped clean up and wash dishes after dinner, and Tim waited and left later with us.  We decided to walk up the hill (BIG hill!!) back to the seminary, which might not have been too smart considering all the walking we had already done and the heat.  But we walked up past the castle, which was all lit up at night, and which has beautiful views of the city and the Danube below.  So it was another adventure!  But now we're worn out, hot, and need some sleep, so I'll wrap up another post.  Hope you enjoy the pictures!  

The castle at night